Adjustable socket-bearing



S. P. HULL.

AIDJUSTABLE SOCKET BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, I911.

' 1 $26,268. Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

' IN V EN TOR.

SAMUEL P. HULL, OF Y ONKERS, NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE SOCKET-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed September 24, 1917. Serial No. 192,847.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL P. HULL, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New Yorkhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in AdjustableSocket-Bearings, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to socket bearings and has for an object a novelmeans of ad'- justing a bearing of this character to take up lost motionresulting from wear; another object is to insure freedom and guardagainst binding of the bearing. 1

Referring to the, accompanying;v drawings illustrating one form of myinvention; Figure 1, shows an application to the bearing of a rodoperating a detector for a railway switch point where a close adjustmentis necessary; Fig. 2, shows a detail plan view of its application; Fig.3 is a side elevation of part of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 shows a modification inits application, Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show difierent views of theadjusting member and Fig. 9 is an enlarged end view of Fig. 2 with thenut removed.

The part 13, commonly known as a point lug, is bolted to the'switch rail12 and extends beyond the point thereof where it is formed into arounded extension or tang 31, threaded at the end as shown This tangforms the socket of'the bearing in which the cylindrical eye 36, (shownin sec tion in Fig. 2) of the operating rod 14 is inserted. This rod, bymeans of the screw jaw 15, moves the circuit controller 16, pivoted at17. At the endof this circuit con troller are two insulated contactplates 18 and 20. When in the position shown, contact plate 18 closesthe circuit at contacts 19, thus establishing the circuit of thesignaling device 22 from battery 23, through wires 24 and 25. WVhen'theswitch point 12 is in the other position, contacts 21 and insulatedplate 20 may be used to operate a similar circuit, circuit controller 16then being in the position indicated by the dotted line.

The adjustment of this arrangement requires that a very slight movementof the switch rail 12 from the stock rail 11 should operate the circuitof the signaling device 22 thus detectin a dangerous condition.

It has been found. that with this construction there is considerablewear in the bearing due to vibration incident to its 01'- dinaryconditions of service and to the frequency of switch movements. It isthe purpose of the present invention to provide a simple and ready meansof adjusting the socket bearing so as to take up lost motion due to wearof the bearing surfaces and thus prevent false movements of the circuitcontroller and, at the same time, provide a bearing that shall work withthe greatest freedom, without binding. This is secured by means of theadjusting member, or filler, shown enlarged in Figs. 5 to 8.

This filler, 35, consists as shown of a cylindrical shell having acircular groove 41 less than a semi-circle and of a diameter to fit thetang .31 of the lug 13. Two fillers are placed opposite as shown in Fig.2 and held in place by being inserted into the eye 36 of operating rod14. The outer diameter of these fillers or shells is increased at themiddle part as shown at 42, forming a convex surface. This convexsurface, it will be observed, forms the perimeter of a sphere or balland when inserted in the eye forms a ball and socket joint. It will benoted that the switch point moves horizontally and de scribes the arc ofa circle and the ball and socket joint prevents binding of the bearingunder this movement. It isdesirable however, that the operating rodshould be rigid in the vertical plane and this I secure by means of theraised edges 45 of the fillers. It will be noted that on thelongitudinal edges the diameter of the filler is increased to equal thediameter of the convex surface and when in place as shown in Fig. 9,these raised edges 45 are in a vertical plane within the cylindrical eye36, thus restricting the ball and socket movement in this direction.

The inner end of these fillers is formed into a half hexagon shoulderwith the vertical side 44 elongated, and the inner side 43 formed on aninclined plane. This is assembled as shown in Fig 2, from which it willbe noted that the inclined planes 43 engage the shoulder 33 of the lug13. This shoulder prevents the fillers from turning and from droppingout of place; and when the adjusting nut 32 is tightened the fillers areforced apart on the shoulder 33, thus taking up lost motion in thehearing by the simple operation of tightening the nut.

The shoulders 33 are, preferably, made square as shown in Figs. 2 and 3although this is not an essential to the use of my invention. In Fig. d,for instance, the tang 31 is off-centered and the lug 13 does not havesquared shoulders. In this case I pro vide an adapter 37, which issimply a section of tubing fitted onto the tang 31 and provided Withtapering sides 38 to engage the inclined planes 43 with the same efi'ectas the shoulder 33. It will thus be observed that the application 01 myinvention simply requires that the cross-section of the end of the tangbe so shaped that the fillers are forced apart when the inclines 43 aremoved over this cross-section.

I Wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to switchpoints but is generic to socket bearings for any purpose Whatever.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a socket bearing free to turn, a tang, a support for said tang ofdifferent cross section from said tang, a plurality of fillers, an eye,said eye inclosing said fillers and said tang, and means for forcingsaid fillers apart.

2. In a socket hearing free to turn, a tang with an adjusting nut, asupport for said tang of difierent cross-section from said tang, an eye,a plurality of fillers split on their longitudinal axis, said eyeinclosing said fillers and said tang, and means for taking up lostmotion in said bearing by said adjusting nut.

3. In a socket bearing, a tang, a plurality of longitudinal fillershaving convex bearing surfaces, an eye, said eye inclosiug said fillersand saidtang, and means for adjusting'said bearing by the position ofsaid tillers on said tang.

1-. In combination, a tang of different cross-section at one end, aneye, a plurality of-fillers, said fillers having inclined planes at theends and convex bearing surfaces, said fillers and said tang insertedWithin said eye. 5. In a socket bearing, a circular member, a supportfor said member of different crosssection, an eye, a plurality oflongitudinal fillers having inclined planes at the end, said circularmember and said fillers inserted within said eye, and means foradjusting said bearing by moving said fillers on said circular member.

6. In a socketbearing, a circular member of'dilferent cross-section atone end, an eye,

a plurality of semi-circular fillers, said iilL ers having convexbearing surfaces and a hexagon shoulder at one end,'said shouldertapering inward forming an inclined plane, said circular member and saidfiller inserted Within said eye, andineans for adjusting said bearing'bymoving said fillers onto the different cross-section of said circularmember.

7. "In a socket bearing, a tang, a cylindrical eye, a filler, saidiiller-havinga spherical bearing, surface anda raised longitudinalridge, said tang and s aid filler inserted 7 y I SAMUEL HULL.

*Witnesses: V

FREDERICK P. FLENCHAUS, 1 WILLIAM J.v Gnnrsna.

